Everyone is not familiar with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). How can they pronounced words suggested in the answers? I think a "Listen" button to be add in the position of the answer where "teachers" suggested any word. It can be done adding a button in the "Markdown Editor" where "teachers" can add this feature in there answer proving IPA in a popup-ed box.
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Example question about onomatopoeia (where the sound itself is an integral part of the answer): "What is the onomatopoeia for when you remove a sticker or an adhesive from its place?". As you can see from my answer I included three off-site links at the end of my answer so the reader could also hear the word. – Rob Jul 5 at 4:56
Even people who can read the IPA sometimes have trouble reproducing an utterance correctly! This of course is barring any transcription errors. That said, I'm definitely for the ability to attach audio to questions and answers. It would add a whole different dimension to possible questions: e.g., "I'm saying this like this, can you give me tips?". I don't think adding audio could be required though.
With HTML5 audio, it could be a really good experience, too. I worry about the file size and storage of clips though. I wonder what kind of changes to the software are possible.
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1It will be harder for peoples who have no microphone. Better use a procedure by which program will automatically generates sounds based on provided IPA. – chanchal1987 Aug 7 '10 at 20:14
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3Voice synthesis is okay, but I've never met a program that can reproduce the subtleties correctly, let alone a program that could render from input in the IPA. That said, I'd be very pleased to be wrong. – Charlie Aug 7 '10 at 20:41